Saturday Share with Mary Geisen

The purpose of this weekly feature is to provide a space for regular people to share their real-life encounters with Jesus. It’s about living in the middle – on the way to the finish line. Our race isn’t finished as long as there’s still breath in our lungs.

I believe we sharpen one another and delight God’s heart when we testify of His great work in our lives. Be encouraged to put one foot in front of the other, and spur someone on while you’re at it!

My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ,in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.Colossians 2:2-3 NIV

I am thrilled to welcome back my feature Saturday Share writer:

Mary Geisen

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Holy Habits

By Mary Geisen

Growing up, one of the first things I did each morning after I rolled out of bed, was neatly tuck the sheet and comforter back into their original spot. It was one of the first chores I remember doing and it quickly became a habit.

Fast forward to now and you will see a very different scenario playing out. I find I’m lacking motivation to complete that morning chore. I figure if no one is coming over, it really doesn’t matter. However, I’m learning this one simple habit is necessary for how the rest of my day will go.

You may wonder how making a bed makes a difference in the landscape of my day, but for me, it looks like making space for the sacred.

If God is the center of my life, anytime I make room for Him increases my holy habits. Daily routines are a huge piece to the puzzle of creating sacred space for me to sit with God.

Perhaps making your bed in the morning is beyond your capacity as you prepare for the day. Or you just never developed this habit. Either way, I want us to walk together as we unpack the need for making sacred space.

Recently, I was sharing with a group of women, whom I meet with weekly, that my quiet time looks non-existent. It’s hard to admit in front of a group who are learning discipleship together. But the truth is that when I feel off balance for any reason, I need to look at my daily habits. Where is my focus? How much time do I spend on any one thing? Why do I feel out of sorts?

Digging deeper into the “why”, I immediately recognized that I spend time in the Word but in the context of a Bible study. Or I choose to read Christian non-fiction, which is great, but I have lost sight of the daily invitation to spend time with God.

Holy habits are space makers, freedom growers, grace givers, and truth tellers. Here are some of the holy habits I am learning I need daily.

Worship music opens my heart to hearing and my soul to centering on what God has for me for the day.

Quiet time (no music, no reading, just silence, and solitude) allows me to hear directly from God without distractions.

Time in God’s Word creates a place for truth to dwell and grace to abound.

A sacred space that keeps my eyes, ears, and heart focused on God.

Finally, a time to reach out to others to encourage them in their own journey in developing holy habits.

Making my bed in the morning sets the tone for the day. When I take the time to do this one simple thing, it is like giving myself permission to engage in other daily habits. And in the process of making space for these routines, I am learning how God recognizes my need for order. But most importantly, He sees my desire to invite Him into my day.

I can’t lead others well in their own journey if I am struggling with my own. Let’s consider the one holy habit we can begin today. Name it and share it with someone close to you. Take the first step and watch all that God will do.

So let’s do it—full of belief, confident that we’re presentable inside and out. Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching. Hebrews 10:22-25, MSG

My journey of relearning to make my bed now looks like getting back on track. What was unbalanced is now providing focus for the rest of my day.

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Connect with Mary~

Mary Geisen is a lover of coffee and deep, soul-filled conversations. She is the mom of two married sons, a retired teacher, writer, author and seeker of grace in the ordinary. Several years ago, God called her to bravely step out by sharing her journey in written form. The power of God’s words has inspired her journey of healing and drawing closer to God through the power of grace. She continues to walk toward brave faith in her everyday life and encourages others to do the same.

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18 thoughts on “Saturday Share with Mary Geisen”

Mary,
I had to chuckle about how much we are alike. I, too, have to make my bed each day. It’s kind of like I can’t start the day on the right foot unless it’s been made. There’s just something about turning down a made bed at the end of the day that feels good. Spending time with God in His Word and in prayer are holy habits I’ve tried to cultivate. I don’t always get it right, but I do know my days tend to go better when I do. I turn on praise music to unload or load the dishwasher and clean up around the kitchen. Somehow, then, it becomes an act of worship vs. a chore. Praise music in my car turns my SUV into a sanctuary. The more holy habits we can create, the more rich our lives are. I LOVE your habit of capturing God’s Creation with your camera….what a great habit AND it blesses others!!
Blessings,
Bev xx

I so agree with you, Bev. I’m seeking to recognize every act of chores or work as an act of worship. Practicing His presence… Brother Lawrence. Thank you for adding value to our conversation and visiting today.💞

It is so true that the more holy habits we create, the richer our lives become. My mom always instilled in us the habit of making our beds each morning. That is why when I stopped making my bed for a short period of time, I needed to look at the reason why.

We seem to have similar holy habits. I’m convinced we could be such good friends. Thank you for being here and sharing your insights.
P.S. I love taking pictures and I’m glad it blesses others.

“But the truth is that when I feel off balance for any reason, I need to look at my daily habits. Where is my focus? How much time do I spend on any one thing? Why do I feel out of sorts?”

So true, Mary! Sometimes I feel down because my brain chemistry is just not right due to living in a broken world, but sometimes I feel down because I’m indulging in bad habits. Staying up too late, not eating well, binge-watching TV. I kick myself for being so…human, I guess, but then the Holy Spirit reminds me that there is grace for each day. I can begin again, in Him.

Oh me too, Marie! I verbally and mentally beat myself black and blue when I stay up too late because I’m just naturally a night owl. A few late nights lead to sleeping past my alarm and then a shortened quiet time… And long story short, I’m so frustrated with my lack of discipline. Thanks, Marie, for bringing it back to God’s grace, mercy and kindness!

Thank goodness for God’s grace everyday. I have many moments when I choose something else to begin my day instead of time with God. More often than not, it leaves me off center for the day. Thank you for being so honest and joining us for Saturday Share.

” But the truth is that when I feel off balance for any reason, I need to look at my daily habits. Where is my focus? How much time do I spend on any one thing? Why do I feel out of sorts?”
Thank you for this Mary! I totally agree. I recognize when I’m out of balance, but it’s not enough to know I’m out of sync. I have to stop the spinning and intentionally focus. I love that you are emphasizing asking good questions about the situation at hand. It’s easy in this world to just keep spinning even while feeling dizzy. I don’t want to have to fall down before I stop.

Isn’t it interesting that so much of who we are is tied up in our daily habits? We don’t realize it until things seem more chaotic in our lives and then we need to do some digging to figure out why. I also think some of this has to do with my need for control in my life. Hopefully, I am learning that God is in everything. He is the one who leads me to Him through daily routines which become holy habits.

Thank you for allowing me to share again. I love the chance for God to teach me in new ways.

Thank you Mary and Lisa for sharing this today! He continues to ask me to embrace the slow and to see Him holding my hand right there. 🙂 Where He leads, with me following, is a life-long habit I am still learning. Blessings to you both!

Thank you for stopping by, Bettie! You show me over and over again how important it is to embrace the slow. I am learning a lot from your example. I also know that being a life-long learner is a wonderful thing. Blessings, friend!

I love the way our holy habits act as book ends around the things we want to protect and give room for in a purposeful and intentional pursuit of God. And how wonderful that He is in pursuit (always!) of our hearts.
Blessed weekend to you, Lisa and Mary!

You took what I was trying to say and made it better by describing holy habits as book ends. I love the image and know that God helps us protect our non-negotiable so we can pursue Him with all we have. And yes God spends way more time pursuing us.

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